Naperville North has record-setting night in win over Sandburg

NAPERVILLE – With a playoff berth already secure, Naperville North only needed to worry about improving its place in the bracket against Sandburg.

Huskies alumnus and Minnesota Vikings rookie linebacker Bo Richter was in attendance the night after his team’s game against the Los Angeles Rams, and the Huskies made it worth his trip with a 44-34 nonconference victory. It will force the Eagles to hold their breath when the brackets are revealed Saturday.

“We’re playing decent, we’re playing hard, and we like our group,” said Huskies coach Sean Drendel. “But we got to clean some stuff up — but every team does at this time of year — and keep trying to get better.”

The first quarter featured Naperville North (7-2) setting one school record after another. It began when Jacob Bell, fresh off a 63-yard pass to Brock Pettaway on the first play from scrimmage, fired a 2-yard touchdown pass to Nick Manzardo. This made him the first quarterback in Huskies’ history to throw for 30 touchdowns in a season.

“The goal is always just to win the game,” Bell said, “and feed my receivers and get those guys their looks. Just team first.”

Later in the first quarter, Gabe Hill, already the Huskies’ single-season tackle leader, made Sandburg (5-4) shiver when he sacked quarterback Anthony Shelton. That gave the junior a school-record 16 varsity sacks.

The final record in the quarter was set when Bell hit Quinn Morris for a 35-yard touchdown. Morris’ 13th touchdown reception of the season marked the most for any Naperville North player.

Despite the constant rewriting of the school record books, the Huskies only held a 17-14 lead at halftime compliments of a 27-yard Tyler Duewel field goal kicked as the first half clock expired.

Naperville North increased its lead to 10 on its first possession of the second half with Bell hitting Finnian Bretag for a 27-yard touchdown.

The Eagles then found a groove on offense and took their first lead, 28-24, after scoring touchdowns on back-to-back possessions.

The Huskies took the lead right back thanks to a drive that culminated in Manzardo’s second 2-yard touchdown reception of the game.

After a prompt Aidan Pabarja interception set the offense up on the Sandburg 25-yard line, Naperville North began the fourth quarter with a Rahsean Blake 13-yard touchdown run.

Zach Mally then picked up his second interception of the game, tying Edward Mumford’s total for the contest and setting up Bell’s fifth touchdown pass, this one from 9 yards out to Ian MacConnachie. Bell finished with 342 yards on 25-of-39 passing.

Although the Eagles marched down the field on their final possession to set up a 2-yard touchdown run from Luke Basiorka, his second score of the game, it was not enough to overcome their six interceptions.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241025/prep-football/naperville-north-knocks-off-sandburg-school-records/